Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane talks to her supporters Tuesday evening, Oct. 10, 2017, at Brewery Bhavana in downtown Raleigh. McFarlane and challenger Charles Francis are likely to face off in a November runoff election.

Devised in 1787, the purpose of the Electoral College was a compromise to set a balance between those who wanted the popular vote to determine the election and those who didn't want public input. The number of Congress members a state has is how many electoral votes that state gets. The 2016 election is the fifth time that the Electoral College has resulted in a split verdict of one candidate winning the popular vote and the other the electoral vote – the latter being the one that decides the presidency.

During a press conference at the NC Legislature, state GOP spokesman Dallas Woodhouse interrupted Alan McSurely, attorney with the state NAACP. As McSurely joined Democrats criticizing Republicans for making a power grab in the special session, Woodhouse asked McSurely to explain examples of Democrats cutting Republicans' power in the past.

President-elect Donald Trump is officially announcing he will nominate retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to be his Defense Secretary, bringing his pick onstage in North Carolina. Mattis briefly addressed the crowd in Fayetteville, thanking Trump for the nomination.

VIDEO: President-elect Donald Trump expresses his gratitude to North Carolina supporters for helping him to victory as he carried the battleground state in the recent election during a "Thank You," rally at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C. He also spoke about his plans for rebuilding the military and helping veterans, which was popular in the city that houses Ft. Bragg, one of the largest Army bases in the country.

VIDEO: Governor-elect Roy Cooper thanks supporters during a victory rally Tuesday evening, Dec. 6, 2016 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, N.C. Cooper, a Democrat and the state’s attorney general, had a lead of 10,293 votes over Gov. Pat McCrory in nearly final election tallies on the State Board of Elections website Monday evening.

VIDEO: Supporters begin to gather to celebrate Governor-elect Roy Cooper’s election win during a victory rally Tuesday evening, Dec. 6, 2016 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, N.C. Cooper, a Democrat and the state’s attorney general, had a lead of 10,293 votes over Gov. Pat McCrory in nearly final election tallies on the State Board of Elections website Monday evening – about 0.2 percent of votes cast.

Brandon Herrera, left, from Fayetteville and De Lance Stephens from Wade tell why they support President-elect Donald Trump. They were outside Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville before the start of Trump's "Thank You" rally.

Donald Trump kicked off his "thank you tour" with the announcement that he was selecting retured Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis for secretary of defense, a move that will break from the custom to have a civilian lead the Pentagon. For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty.

Video: N.C. Republican Sen. Bob Rucho and N.C. GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse call for the N.C. Board of Elections to demand a recount of votes from Durham County in light of irregularities noted on election night. They held a press conference prior to a special Elections Board meeting slated for later in the day.